warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Synonyms
Examples of wary in a Sentence
Great critics are sometimes wary of great authors. Eliot and Pound usually sidled past Shakespeare.
—
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the wake of a breach, be wary of unsolicited calls or emails asking for sensitive information, as scammers often target breach victims with phishing attempts.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
While some news reports showed nearby residents were wary of having former enemy soldiers working in the community, others credited the cheap prisoner labor with saving several harvests.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024
One person familiar with the situation compared it to a slow-moving break-up: Harris' team and allies respect Biden's service, but are wary of further tying Harris to the unpopular president on the campaign trail.
—Alex Thompson, Axios, 27 Oct. 2024
Even corporate defense lawyers are wary of regarding Mizelle’s decision as anything but an outlier — for now.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wary 
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
While some news reports showed nearby residents were wary of having former enemy soldiers working in the community, others credited the cheap prisoner labor with saving several harvests.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024
One person familiar with the situation compared it to a slow-moving break-up: Harris' team and allies respect Biden's service, but are wary of further tying Harris to the unpopular president on the campaign trail.
—Alex Thompson, Axios, 27 Oct. 2024
Even corporate defense lawyers are wary of regarding Mizelle’s decision as anything but an outlier — for now.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wary
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wary
adjective
ˈwa(ə)r-ē 
ˈwe(ə)r-
warier; wariest
: very cautious
especially
: being on guard against danger or trickery
wary of strangers
warily
adverb
ˈwar-ə-lē
ˈwer-
wariness
noun
ˈwar-ē-nəs
ˈwer-
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